Spring friction clutch



Jane 19, 192s. x

- E; R. HOLMES' Eiled Nv. 9, 1925 Patented June 19, 1928.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE;

ELBRIDGE B. HOLMES, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO CROMPTON & KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

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' Application led November `9, 1925.

This invention relates to improvements in clutch mechanism particularly useful on the take-ups for narrow ware looms and it is the general object of the invention to pro-v vide a`\mechanism of this type ot compact form such that the clutch may be used in a loom weaving a large number of narrow fabrics.

In narrow Ware looms it is desirable to place the take-up mechanisms as. close as possible so that a large number of Afabrics can be woven and it is a further object of my invention to accomplish this result by providing clutches of hollow form for the take-up to accommodate Y the tensioning springs.

It is necessary occasionally to provide for correcting a mispick by rendering the takeup "roll reversible and it is a still further object of my invention to make a clutch for the take-up roll which shall be reversible by the use of a tool forming no permanent part of the take-up mechanism, the tool being thinQ and of such form as to permit the clutches to be placed close together.

It sometimes happens that after the'cloth has been reversed it is necessary to advance the saine.. slightly in order that the fell may be properly placed and it is a still further object of my invention to provide means for advancingthe clutch for the take-up roll by means of the same tool employed to effect the reversing of the roll.`

It is another A'object of my invention to provide a clutch having a pair of members each to receive one endl of a. coiled spring the internal diameter of which is slightly less than the diameter of the constantlyrotating shaft on which it is located and to rotate the shaft in such a direction that s resistance to the movement of the rollin a forward direction' will serve to tighten the grip between the spring andthe shaft `and 'thus insure rotationof. theclutch.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as Vthe 'descriptionl proceed's, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Awherein `I ,have shown a 4convenient embodiment of myinventiom g Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the lower 'right hand end of a loom showing the takein Fig.

Serial ivo. 67,725.

up mechanism therefor provided with `my improved form of clutch, Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a'vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and A Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section, through adjacent portions of the clutch members at the ends of the spring locking ring.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that I have provided a loom side 10 and a breast beam 11. An upper shaft l2 is journaled 'in the loom side and is connected by means of gear 13 secured thereto to vone 'of a pair of change gears 114 the other of which meshes with a gear 15 secured to the bottom cloth roll shaft 16. The gearing provides means for-driving the tivo shafts 12 and 16 in timed relation with each other but atditferent rates of 'speed and one or the other of said shafts is rotated positively by mechanism not shown so that the shaft 12 vhas an angular motionV each pick of the' loom to take up the cloth woven. This mechanism illustrates one form of device on which my improved clutch may be--usedf My invention relates to the form of takeup clutch associated with the roll and it will be seen by referring to Fig. 1 that I have provided a pluralityl of driven members 20 shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 3. Each driven member 20-comprises advancing member 21 having a-cylindrical surface 22 to cooperate with the work in this instance the cloth W and the member 21 is -further rovided with a bearing`23 which fits loose y onshaft 12.

VEach, of said members 20 is formed' in y part with a reversing disc member 24 loosely mounted on the shaft 12 and having a peri heral groove 25 therein.` Said groove as a depth equal to or greater than the diameter of the wire fromA which is formed springlock 26 as seen in Figs.d 2, 3, and 4, The-advancing member 21 is provided with a flange 27 which as shown in Fig. 3 is in substantial alignment with the reversing member 24 and saidl flan e is provided with a groove 28 having a depth Epproximately vone-half the diameter ofV the wire of which lock 26 is made. As shown 2 the periphery lof the reversing membera24 is recessed as at 29 to aord access to the inbent ends'30 of the ,lock 26.

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As shown in Fig. 4 said ends 30 are sufficiently long to project inwardly beyond the bottom of groove 25 so that any tendency of said lock to crawl will be resisted when either end engages one of the walls of the recess 29. In this way provision is made for keeping the inbent ends 30 in the recess 29 so ,'-fthat they will always be accessible when 'opening 33 in the reversing member 24 and the other end of said spring is extended as shown at 34 through an opening 35 extending through the web 36 of the member 2l. Said web is provided with a threaded hole 37 which receives a locking screw 38 screwed down tightly against the end 34 to prevent disengagement of the spring and member .As shownin `Fig. 2 the flange 27 is provided with a plurality of equally spaced openings 39 and the reversing member 24 is` provided with` a similar set of equally spaced o enings 40. For convenience lthe distance lietween adjacent holes 39 on the member 21 is equal to the distance between adjacent holes 40 on the reversing member 24, this distance being the same as that be# tween pins P on a tool T as shown inaFig. 2.

In assembling the device the member 21 is slipped onto shaft 12 slightly beyond the positionvwhich it is to occupy. Thespring 31 is then expanded to increase the diameter of the coils so that they may be slipped over the shaft 12. When the spring is in the proper position it is released to cause the coils to grip the shaft.

Member 21 is then moved toward the spring to cause end 34 of the latter to enter hole 35 and screw 38 positioned to tighten the two parts together. By means of an appropriate tool the ends 30 of the lock 26 are drawn together to cause the lock to be housed entirely in groove 25 of the reversing member, after which the latter is moved into alignment with flange 27 in such a Way that end 32 of the spring can enter `opemng 33.4 The ends 30 are then released i and lock 26 expands to lie partl. in groove i.. spring 25 and partly in groove 28. he member 24 is thus locked against accidental displacement but mayI beturned with respect to the member 21 without losing contact with 31. sThus the member 2O is held against the shaft 12 and rotates with the same.

When the clutch is applied to the take-up of a loom and it is desired .to make a pickout it is necessary to release the pressure of the spring 31 against the shaft and reverse the member 20, and in order to accomplish this result pins P of tool T are placed in adjacent openings 40 of member 24 and the tool is given a clockwise movement with respect to the shaft 12 as indicated by arrow 'R in Fig. 2. The effect ofthis is to expand the spring 31 and lmove the same with respect to the shaft 12 in such a direction as to reverse thel member 20. If as previously stated it is desired to advance the member 20 to properly position the same the pins of the tool may be inserted in adjacent holes 39 as shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2 and lgiven a counterclockwise movement as indicated by arrow L. The effect of this is to loosen spring 31 to permit a forward movement of the member 20.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple clutch having two oper-ating members which are connected to a third tensioning device in such a way that the clutch can be moved in either direction with respect to the driving shaft by moving one or the other of the members and that the tensioning device grips the driving shaft so that under normal conditions the clutch rotates at the same rate of speed-as does the shaft. Also, any resistance offered to the rotation of the member 20 serves onlyto tighten the grip of the spring 31 against the shaft 12 to insure a greater friction contact necessary to overcome the increased resisting force.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent that changes and modifications inay be made therein by those skilled in the art'without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein dis closed, but what I claim is:

1. In a clutch mechanism, a shaft having a regular angular motion, a pair of members each loosely mounted on the shaft and independently movable with respect to the other and each provided with a groove concentric with the shaft, said grooves facing and being in alignment with each other, an expansible member normally located partly in one groove and partly in the other to pre- 'vent relative movement of the members in the direction of the axis of the shaft, and means to hold said members normally rigid with respect to the shaft to cause said members to move with the shaft.

2. In a clutch mechanism, a shaft having a regular angular motion, a pair of members each loosely mounted on the shaft and movable relatively to the other angularly about the shaft, one of said members bein driven, means frictionall held to the shag .and slidable thereon w en the frictional contact with the shaft is reduced, said means being connected to andfmovablexbl each member and normally holdin bot members in fixed relation olf the sha said driven member being movable in a forward direction with respect to the shaft but held against reverse movement by the means, the

other member beingI held by the means against forward movement with respect to ELBRIDGE R.` HOLMES. 

